Beautyheaven road-tested the latest addition to the Priori CoffeeBerry family. Was skin tighter, brighter and more even-toned than before?
What: Priori CoffeeBerry Yoga Facial
Where: Priori HQ, Zetland
Treatment time: 75 minutes
Spend: $140
Normally when I have a facial, try as I might to relax, I simply can’t switch off. I’ll have copy deadlines, new products, what to have for dinner and many more a dilemma zooming around my head.
So no one was more surprised than me to find that, after a couple of minutes focusing on breathing in deeply through my nose and out through my mouth as my therapist pushed down on my shoulder blades, I felt in a complete state of tranquil calm.
The therapist soothingly explained that the opening massage and yoga breathing techniques help to induce deeper relaxation, while the next part of the facial addresses strengthening the immune system, boosting circulation, detoxifying the body and ridding muscles and mind of stored tension. It sounded almost too good to be true, but snuggled deep in warm blankets as the therapist stretched my arms and legs, I felt so super relaxed that I could tell it was working.
Next up, using Priori Soothing Complex, I had a de-stressing massage of the shoulder, neck and back. Then the main facial began. It used different yoga facial moves, massaging different pressure points around the face to help rejuvenate and release facial tension:
To fight discoloration and bags under the eyes, gentle pressure was applied to the outside of my nostrils to release toxins from the body that show as blotches and bags under the eyes.
Then the therapist found the apple of my cheeks and pressed her middle finger there, performing a pressure point massage in a clockwise motion several times to detoxify and oxygenate my skin. A great acupressure point (it’s good for alleviating certain sinus conditions) can be found between the nose and the eyes. Applying pressure here, my therapist informed me would smooth facial lines and prevent wrinkles – music to my ears!
Next up, it was time for a bit of natural Botox in the form of gently pulling the outer corner of my eye toward the hairline. Then my therapist used her knuckles to rub against my temples and forehead to unwrinkle the brow (it’s also a great move to relieve stress and headaches).
To address the much-talked about facial tension, the therapist placed her fingers in the centre of my forehead and swept in outward, horizontal lines, then pressed her palms gently into my eye sockets and finished by lightly sweeping her fingertips down the cheeks. Tension, what tension!
Next up, my two favourite ‘moves’ that toned the facial muscles and heightened skin colour. Firstly, to tone, I was told to take a deep breath in; as I exhaled, the therapist turned my head to one side, gently applying pressure and pulling up my cheeks towards my lips. To heighten skin colour and bring circulation to the face, an ancient Indian facial yoga technique was used. The therapist held the middle of my earlobes with her thumb and index finger and pulled them out four times. Then she held the lower earlobes and pulled down lightly four times and did the same, in reverse, to the upper ear.
To finish up I was treated to a beautiful head massage and a hand an arm massage that used Priori CoffeeBerry Body Emulsion, this again involved squeezing various reflex points.
It’s so hard to convey in words how relaxed I felt afterwards – it is honestly the most indulgent 75-minutes of ‘me’ time and I strongly recommend it to anyone who doesn’t find enough time to just stop and relax. From a skin perspective, I have never looked better (even if I do say do myself!), my skin was radiant, I glowed and received so many compliments that I went sans make-up all day long – you simply couldn’t look any better.
– Sarah, bh Online Editor
